12
Edward Mills Grace. Handwritten twelve page letter from Grace to his Mother, Martha, written from
Auctioneer has chosen not to publish the price of this lot
Leicester
Description
Edward Mills Grace. Handwritten twelve page letter from Grace to his Mother, Martha, written from Melbourne ‘or rather Sandhurst at present’. This interesting letter undated but written three or four days after the previous ‘Boxing Day’ letter is full of comment, both from a cricketing and social perspective and covers the matches at Bendigo and Ballarat. Grace apologies for not [having] written for the past few days, ‘because of my finger’. He talks of meeting the Mayor of Melbourne, John Thomas Smith, with the ‘Sydney men’ and ‘all the England Eleven as well’. ‘It was raining most awfully hard...There was to have been a lot of ladies to dance with after Dinner, but it was so wet none of them came.’. ‘The old boy [Mayor] proposed the Queen, The England XI, the Sydney XI and then said that we were met there for enjoyment and not for drinking one another’s health so they had singing and that sort of thing. I of course had a poultice on my finger’. Grace talks of wanting to leave early and having not been able to get a car, takes a lift with a man whose horse was not up to double harness ‘we rolled about a bit driving 5 miles into Melbourne, I thought once or twice that we were going over, but luckily we arrived at Melbourne safely’. ‘Thursday. My finger seems worse so I went up to the hospital and saw James the House Surgeon. I got him to open my finger which he did very well’. He mentions going to Dinner with Sir Greville Smyth (formerly of Bristol) who talks of going home soon, giving the Reverend Fellowes the bat given to him by Mr Tavistock and ‘and he gave us a capital Dinner and they all hoped that I should be able to play and make a good score Friday. My finger was a little better...’ He then moves onto the first tour match against Victoria ‘Won the toss and put them in first. I fielded all day with a poultice on my finger. But was afraid to do much with it. But fortunately had not much to do. I think I only lost 4 runs through my finger . Then on Saturday, Hayward and Carpenter stayed in nearly all day.So it gave my finger till Monday when it was healed up, but very tender. I did not go anywhere on Friday, Saturday or Sunday except to church when it was most awfully hot we did not go out except to the veranda’. ‘Monday. I played but was so thoroughly out of practice that I only made 8 in the evening’. Grace then relates at length meeting many girls at various parties he attended, ‘Tuesday. I got a tin cap to put on my finger so fielded all right, when I got in I thought I was going to stop. But unfortunately in hitting around to leg at a wide one the ball hit the back of the bat and the longstop caught me. I showed all the ladies in the reserve [stand] my belt which was much admired’. Grace then relates the journey for the next match at Bendigo ‘none of the fellows up here seem much like Gentlemen, it is such a dusty dusty place, you cannot imagine... after Dinner we went down on to the Cricket Ground, it is the worst one I have ever seen... sand flying about and dust’. He then talks of the actual match, of he and Tarrant opening the innings, ‘Tarrant had the first over and the first ball of the second over pitched a little off the off stump, I had a hit at it and just touched it into short slips hands. The wickets played awfully bad’. He talks of the Gold Rush ‘The Gold has only been discovered there six weeks and already there are 3000 digging.... it certainly is a wonderful thing, to think that they should crush up all the stone so as to get at the gold...when the gold is taken out of it like pencil dust’.... ‘We then went back to the ground and had to field for a short time till lunch and knew I had to go in . I was just settled to my work when in hitting to leg a ball pitched, hit the edge of the bat and went into long fields hand. I have at least got over 20’ [Grace scored 21]. ‘Saturday, we had a most awfully hot wind and dust in the morning, middle day it changed right round, blew cold and rain and showers nearly all day. They got the rest of our side out and then we went to field, three times were we driven to the tent and at last we decided on letting it rain and playing through it, when we got them out and won’. ‘I forgot to tell you that Parr had erysipelas [skin infection] very bad in face and hand. Grace speaks of meeting again, Mr Kirk’s two daughters ‘I had a great deal of chaff with the little one, she has promised to come back to England with me, but I should like to bring the other one..., thats the eldest, such a jolly girl but wish she was a year or two older... I must tell you in confidence that your boy Edward is rather struck in that quarter.... I have not decided how I am to come home. I am reasoning with myself whether it is worth - cricket £130 more to get home a fortnight quicker... but it will a good deal depend on how a certain young lady feels for one. Her name is Eliza’. They then travel on to the next match at Ballarat ‘I found all the eleven waiting to go up by the same train, I thought that they had gone up the day before. There was a pretty good reception for us up here... we won the toss and put them in, it was a good ground to bat on but rather nasty to field on. They made a good stand to commence with, but then went out quickly. We went in and after making 15 I got under one and got caught long field , the fellow has 2 or 3 trys at it but at last he held it safe’....’This Wednesday Evening we have a Benefit at the Theatre but we shall be in a pretty pickle to play at Ararat tomorrow as it is 60 miles from here and the most awfully bad road. We leave here by the Mail Coach... tonight and arrive there at 10 o’clock in the morning. You have no conception how the coach jumps you about most awfully’. Grace finishes with ‘I hope that every one is quite well at home. With love to everybody, your affectionate son, ‘Edward Mills Grace’. An excellent and extensive account from Grace, covering the match at Bendigo, the two matches at Ballarat and travel to the match at Ararat. Light folds otherwise in very good condition. - cricket Grace scored 0 & 21 in the Bendigo match, 15 in the first of the Ballarat matches and 11 in the fill in match played on the 13th January, ‘Eight of Ballarat v two of England’ which the two of England won by nine runs. The belt referred to in this letter is being sold in the auction as lot 6.
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Edward Mills Grace. Handwritten twelve page letter from Grace to his Mother, Martha, written from Melbourne ‘or rather Sandhurst at present’. This interesting letter undated but written three or four days after the previous ‘Boxing Day’ letter is full of comment, both from a cricketing and social perspective and covers the matches at Bendigo and Ballarat. Grace apologies for not [having] written for the past few days, ‘because of my finger’. He talks of meeting the Mayor of Melbourne, John Thomas Smith, with the ‘Sydney men’ and ‘all the England Eleven as well’. ‘It was raining most awfully hard...There was to have been a lot of ladies to dance with after Dinner, but it was so wet none of them came.’. ‘The old boy [Mayor] proposed the Queen, The England XI, the Sydney XI and then said that we were met there for enjoyment and not for drinking one another’s health so they had singing and that sort of thing. I of course had a poultice on my finger’. Grace talks of wanting to leave early and having not been able to get a car, takes a lift with a man whose horse was not up to double harness ‘we rolled about a bit driving 5 miles into Melbourne, I thought once or twice that we were going over, but luckily we arrived at Melbourne safely’. ‘Thursday. My finger seems worse so I went up to the hospital and saw James the House Surgeon. I got him to open my finger which he did very well’. He mentions going to Dinner with Sir Greville Smyth (formerly of Bristol) who talks of going home soon, giving the Reverend Fellowes the bat given to him by Mr Tavistock and ‘and he gave us a capital Dinner and they all hoped that I should be able to play and make a good score Friday. My finger was a little better...’ He then moves onto the first tour match against Victoria ‘Won the toss and put them in first. I fielded all day with a poultice on my finger. But was afraid to do much with it. But fortunately had not much to do. I think I only lost 4 runs through my finger . Then on Saturday, Hayward and Carpenter stayed in nearly all day.So it gave my finger till Monday when it was healed up, but very tender. I did not go anywhere on Friday, Saturday or Sunday except to church when it was most awfully hot we did not go out except to the veranda’. ‘Monday. I played but was so thoroughly out of practice that I only made 8 in the evening’. Grace then relates at length meeting many girls at various parties he attended, ‘Tuesday. I got a tin cap to put on my finger so fielded all right, when I got in I thought I was going to stop. But unfortunately in hitting around to leg at a wide one the ball hit the back of the bat and the longstop caught me. I showed all the ladies in the reserve [stand] my belt which was much admired’. Grace then relates the journey for the next match at Bendigo ‘none of the fellows up here seem much like Gentlemen, it is such a dusty dusty place, you cannot imagine... after Dinner we went down on to the Cricket Ground, it is the worst one I have ever seen... sand flying about and dust’. He then talks of the actual match, of he and Tarrant opening the innings, ‘Tarrant had the first over and the first ball of the second over pitched a little off the off stump, I had a hit at it and just touched it into short slips hands. The wickets played awfully bad’. He talks of the Gold Rush ‘The Gold has only been discovered there six weeks and already there are 3000 digging.... it certainly is a wonderful thing, to think that they should crush up all the stone so as to get at the gold...when the gold is taken out of it like pencil dust’.... ‘We then went back to the ground and had to field for a short time till lunch and knew I had to go in . I was just settled to my work when in hitting to leg a ball pitched, hit the edge of the bat and went into long fields hand. I have at least got over 20’ [Grace scored 21]. ‘Saturday, we had a most awfully hot wind and dust in the morning, middle day it changed right round, blew cold and rain and showers nearly all day. They got the rest of our side out and then we went to field, three times were we driven to the tent and at last we decided on letting it rain and playing through it, when we got them out and won’. ‘I forgot to tell you that Parr had erysipelas [skin infection] very bad in face and hand. Grace speaks of meeting again, Mr Kirk’s two daughters ‘I had a great deal of chaff with the little one, she has promised to come back to England with me, but I should like to bring the other one..., thats the eldest, such a jolly girl but wish she was a year or two older... I must tell you in confidence that your boy Edward is rather struck in that quarter.... I have not decided how I am to come home. I am reasoning with myself whether it is worth - cricket £130 more to get home a fortnight quicker... but it will a good deal depend on how a certain young lady feels for one. Her name is Eliza’. They then travel on to the next match at Ballarat ‘I found all the eleven waiting to go up by the same train, I thought that they had gone up the day before. There was a pretty good reception for us up here... we won the toss and put them in, it was a good ground to bat on but rather nasty to field on. They made a good stand to commence with, but then went out quickly. We went in and after making 15 I got under one and got caught long field , the fellow has 2 or 3 trys at it but at last he held it safe’....’This Wednesday Evening we have a Benefit at the Theatre but we shall be in a pretty pickle to play at Ararat tomorrow as it is 60 miles from here and the most awfully bad road. We leave here by the Mail Coach... tonight and arrive there at 10 o’clock in the morning. You have no conception how the coach jumps you about most awfully’. Grace finishes with ‘I hope that every one is quite well at home. With love to everybody, your affectionate son, ‘Edward Mills Grace’. An excellent and extensive account from Grace, covering the match at Bendigo, the two matches at Ballarat and travel to the match at Ararat. Light folds otherwise in very good condition. - cricket Grace scored 0 & 21 in the Bendigo match, 15 in the first of the Ballarat matches and 11 in the fill in match played on the 13th January, ‘Eight of Ballarat v two of England’ which the two of England won by nine runs. The belt referred to in this letter is being sold in the auction as lot 6.
The Dawn of Test Cricket. The important historical collection of Edward Mills Grace, Cricketer
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